Real life 'sharktopus'? Scientists share video of strange shark-octopus encounter
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A very strange marine life encounter caught on video left scientists baffled when it was first spotted in New Zealand waters in 2023.
More than a fanciful shark-octopus hybrid featured in low-budget sci-fi films of the 2010s, the "sharktopus" has been spotted in real life - well, kind of.
The sighting was not that of some mish-mashed genetic oddity but rather a normal octopus hitching a ride on the back of a very real shark.
Researchers from the University of Auckland spotted the odd pair in December 2023 during an expedition off the Northern coast in the Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island. But it was an article written by biologist professor and participating researcher Rochelle Constantine, published by the university last week, that piqued public interest.
"A large metallic grey dorsal fin signalled a big shark, a short-fin mako," Constantine wrote in the piece published March 11. "But wait, what was that orange patch on its head? A buoy? An injury? We launched the drone, put the GoPro in the water and saw something unforgettable: an octopus perched atop the shark's head, clinging on with its tentacles."
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The encounter was strange beyond the fact that the orange blob looked rather like a bold fashion statement secured to the shark's head. Of the approximately 300 species of octopus scattered across every ocean on Earth, the vast majority of them live on the seafloor, with only a few types sometimes venturing closer to the water's surface. They mostly feed on animals classified as bottom feeders, including crabs, shrimp, and mollusks, according to National Geographic.
Sharks, on the other hand, generally live and hunt close to the water's surface. And short-fin mako sharks, like the one serving as a mount for the octopus, not only don't tend to venture into the deep but are also impressively fast swimmers capable of reaching speeds up to 45 miles per hour, according to Ocean Conservancy.
How these two managed to cross paths, then, is anyone's guess, said Constantine, who also said the team only observed the odd pair for about 10 minutes. At speeds like that, however, that brave octopus may have been in for one heck of a ride.
'One of the best things about being a marine scientist is that you never know what you might see next in the sea," Constantine wrote. "By supporting conservation initiatives, we can help to ensure that such extraordinary moments keep happening."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Octopus hitches ride on a shark in 'sharktopus' sighting: Watch video
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